Vote Trump for JFKA info?

[Kirk Gallaway]

This happens every 50 years or so. The 2 major parties are going through a realignment. The donor classes of both parties  are are being squeezed by the middle class discontent brought on by  their long range economic policies.

I think for 100 years the Republicans have always aspired to a strong pyramid style economic model, But the very effective specific targeting was started by the Republicans during the Reagan years and then picked up by Bill Clinton. But it's more than just globalism, it involves multi national corporations lobbying, buying politicians and actually drawing up legislation.

 Part of that assault have been on the unions, who are weaker than they've been in our lifetime. You can't be pro worker without being pro union. Biden in trying to get back those votes for the tradition Dem stronghold has become the most pro union President since FDR. He has been an outspoken advocate of collective bargaining, he boosted labor agencies with pro union employees who are making it easier for unions to organize. He's the first president to stand alongside the striking United Autoworkers on a picket line.

 

There are now a few populist Republicans who  up to this point want to do everything short of outright endorsement of unions. JD Vance wants to raise the minimum wage to American workers and Josh Hawley is going after Amazon for their treatment of delivery drivers. But they are sort of doing one and done things. But the Teamster President did speak at the Republican convention.

 

Biden's FTC chairman Lina Kahn is by far them most anti trust FTC chairman since the pre Reagan days and curiously JD Vance has said things in the past supporting her. Vance  has made a fortune from his associations with the tech industry, but Joe Biden and Tim Walz actually don't even own stocks!

Many of the older among us actually remember an era when there was one household earner and a stay home mother taking care of the family. Then an erosion happened in stages when 1) it became necessary to have 2 earners to have a family,  then 2),now  many 2 earner households even with good education and training are stretched to the bone, and may not have a family. And 3)There is a now also a growing class of unmarried people who have given up hopes of having a family and are equally marginalized just on their own.

In the baby boomer generation  there was room for a lot of failure, divorce some drug addiction but some recovery and  an overall good result, though maybe living somewhat marginally in their retirement years. But still with social security , and health care benefits, there's not the need for good income.

IMO, which could be simplifying it. I would say by in large those who were more susceptible to the passing economic conditions, workers who lost their jobs overseas and are then  faced with market induced wages, and prone to class envy and culture wars  tend to be followers of Trump and those who are failed aspiring to middle class affluence tend to be more Democrats. JMO

But unfortunately, on the Trump side, apart from my seeing Trump as having dangerous autocratic tendencies, I also fear   that  I see a lot of right wing people whose answer to a worker-middle class revolt is to head it off at the pass and reduce expectation and "dismantle the administrative state" and  defund or reduce the government to 1950's level, who are out  to influence Trump who has no real conviction of his own. Obviously in this situation, that would bring on great resistance and  I would suspect they are willing to establish a police state with greatly reduced liberties, which I could see with Trump as well.  JMO

The obvious slogan would be "Workers and marginalized middle class of the world unite". But this comprises 95% of the population and there's really not enough money among the top 5% to fix that problem. But there are a number of things that can improve.

 

[Cliff Varnell]

10 hours ago, Paul Brancato said:

I agree that this is the proper context in which to view today’s Republican movement, the genesis of it. Having said that, I still think we make a mistake when we conflate the voting public who support Trump and the broader Republican agenda with the Koch brothers and their ilk who are funding this turn to the right. The constituency is broad, and some of it is certainly racist, homophobic, anti - Semitic, Christian fundamentalist. But there’s a huge swath of the public that is reeling from the long term effects of Capitalist driven globalism designed to make the rich richer still. If trickle down economics resulted in a river of support for the working class in their daily lives  I’d be all for it. But instead what we see is a continuous attack on them, denying them adequate education, health care, housing, jobs. That’s the fodder that puts the current Republican Party on equal footing with the multi cultural Democratic Party. And to blame these less privileged citizens, to demonize them for supporting Trump, misses the essential point that they have been grievously injured by these long standing policies of favoritism for the rich. It doesn’t matter who caused it, it matters how they feel about it. Today’s Democratic Party is not their hero, despite the rhetoric. 
Globalism didn’t have to be so devastating. It’s a good idea in theory. But who benefits? Cheap goods from overseas doesn’t mitigate the loss of quality of life. 

 

Trump didn’t bring white working-class voters to the Republican Party. He kept them away.

https://www.vanderbilt.edu/unity/2021/04/15/trump-didnt-bring-white-working-class-voters-to-the-republican-party-he-kept-them-away/

It’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/05/its-time-to-bust-the-myth-most-trump-voters-were-not-working-class/

[Cliff Varnell]

11 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

To make something clear:

What is going up is a republishing of my 2 part series on Harris from when she ran before. 

There will only be a brief new introduction to it. 

As per balance, I guess Larry does not read K and K very much.   How anyone can say that we have not attacked Trump over the JFK Act is really mystifying.  (But that's OK Larry, I do not take these things personally, as I am used to it.)

But did anyone say anything during the last six weeks about what Harris did on the RFK case?  I don't recall it if it happened.  I don't even think RFK Jr. did.

Does Jim DiEugenio grasp the stakes in this election?

Most Americans don't.  That's why pressing Trump's threat to Democracy did Biden no favors.

[Joe Bauer]

1 hour ago, Kirk Gallaway said:

This happens every 50 years or so. The 2 major parties are going through a realignment. The donor classes of both parties  are are being squeezed by the middle class discontent brought on by  their long range economic policies.

I think for 100 years the Republicans have always aspired to a strong pyramid style economic model, But the very effective specific targeting was started by the Republicans during the Reagan years and then picked up by Bill Clinton. But it's more than just globalism, it involves multi national corporations lobbying, buying politicians and actually drawing up legislation.

 Part of that assault have been on the unions, who are weaker than they've been in our lifetime. You can't be pro worker without being pro union. Biden in trying to get back those votes for the tradition Dem stronghold has become the most pro union President since FDR. He has been an outspoken advocate of collective bargaining, he boosted labor agencies with pro union employees who are making it easier for unions to organize. He's the first president to stand alongside the striking United Autoworkers on a picket line.

 

There are now a few populist Republicans who  up to this point want to do everything short of outright endorsement of unions. JD Vance wants to raise the minimum wage to American workers and Josh Hawley is going after Amazon for their treatment of delivery drivers. But they are sort of doing one and done things. But the Teamster President did speak at the Republican convention.

 

Biden's FTC chairman Lina Kahn is by far them most anti trust FTC chairman since the pre Reagan days and curiously JD Vance has said things in the past supporting her. Vance  has made a fortune from his associations with the tech industry, but Joe Biden and Tim Walz actually don't even own stocks!

Many of the older among us actually remember an era when there was one household earner and a stay home mother taking care of the family. Then an erosion happened in stages when 1) it became necessary to have 2 earners to have a family,  then 2),now  many 2 earner households even with good education and training are stretched to the bone, and may not have a family. And 3)There is a now also a growing class of unmarried people who have given up hopes of having a family and are equally marginalized just on their own.

In the baby boomer generation  there was room for a lot of failure, divorce some drug addiction but some recovery and  an overall good result, though maybe living somewhat marginally in their retirement years. But still with social security , and health care benefits, there's not the need for good income.

IMO, which could be simplifying it. I would say by in large those who were more susceptible to the passing economic conditions, workers who lost their jobs overseas and are then  faced with market induced wages, and prone to class envy and culture wars  tend to be followers of Trump and those who are failed aspiring to middle class affluence tend to be more Democrats. JMO

But unfortunately, on the Trump side, apart from my seeing Trump as having dangerous autocratic tendencies, I also fear   that  I see a lot of right wing people whose answer to a worker-middle class revolt is to head it off at the pass and reduce expectation and "dismantle the administrative state" and  defund or reduce the government to 1950's level, who are out  to influence Trump who has no real conviction of his own. Obviously in this situation, that would bring on great resistance and  I would suspect they are willing to establish a police state with greatly reduced liberties, which I could see with Trump as well.  JMO

The obvious slogan would be "Workers and marginalized middle class of the world unite". But this comprises 95% of the population and there's really not enough money among the top 5% to fix that problem. But there are a number of things that can improve.

 

Great assessment Kirk!

It's begun. Homelessness is now being addressed as a crime.

Tents hauled away. If we see you on the street again it's jail time. Shelters not having room for the huge new influx ... who cares.

Criminalizing those who can't afford housing is real now. People sleeping in their cars next.

If mass demonstrations begin about not being able to afford the basics...the National Guard will respond.

Hard line to keep the growing poor in line.

[Gene Kelly]

My two cents (FWIW) ... the issues at play today are far more important than who murdered JFK sixty years ago. While that's a reason we post the Forum, many of us know what really happened and where the loose ends are in the assassination story.  I'm with Larry H on this ... those remaining records (if indeed they still exist) pale in comparison to what's at stake in this election.  And character, integrity and ethics are what matters in true leadership. 

Gene

[Cliff Varnell]

17 hours ago, John Cotter said:

Larry,

In view of the relentless Trump-bashing by most of the mainstream and social media during the past eight years or so, is there any need for anyone else to add to that particular din now?

Yes, there certainly is.  That you have to ask that question reflects your egregious mis-reading of American politics.

Hot in the middle of a presidential campaign and Cotter is complaining about the volume of criticism of a candidate?

It's hard enough for Americans to grasp the stakes of American politics -- damn near impossible for those who don't live here.

 

[Chris Davidson]

54 minutes ago, Gene Kelly said:

My two cents (FWIW) ... the issues at play today are far more important than who murdered JFK sixty years ago. While that's a reason we post the Forum, many of us know what really happened and where the loose ends are in the assassination story.  I'm with Larry H on this ... those remaining records (if indeed they still exist) pale in comparison to what's at stake in this election.  And character, integrity and ethics are what matters in true leadership. 

Gene

Well stated.

Wholeheartedly agree.

 

[John Cotter]

3 hours ago, Cliff Varnell said:

Yes, there certainly is.  That you have to ask that question reflects your egregious mis-reading of American politics.

Hot in the middle of a presidential campaign and Cotter is complaining about the volume of criticism of a candidate?

It's hard enough for Americans to grasp the stakes of American politics -- damn near impossible for those who don't live here.

 

You’re missing the point as usual.

Even here in Ireland we’ve been bombarded for the past eight years with “reportage” about Trump’s alleged faults, failings and wrongdoing in the mainstream and alternative media and even in pub talk.

This relentless anti-Trump propaganda drowns out and deflects from any criticism of the Democratic Party. An obvious example is the way Biden’s incapacity was effectively covered up for so long with the connivance of the mass media.

The manner in which the Democrats thus largely evade scrutiny is a negation of democracy, such as it is.

And, by the way, in view of the US’s world dominance (albeit now in sharp decline), this is an issue that affects the world in general and not just the US.

[Matt Allison]

A reminder that Zero Hedge is a Russian blog, and posts like the below, from just a few days ago, are common:

 

[Cliff Varnell]

30 minutes ago, John Cotter said:

You’re missing the point as usual.

Even here in Ireland we’ve been bombarded for the past eight years with “reportage” about Trump’s alleged faults, failings and wrongdoing in the mainstream and alternative media and even in pub talk.

Sounds like your problem

30 minutes ago, John Cotter said:

This relentless anti-Trump propaganda drowns out and deflects from any criticism of the Democratic Party.

3 pro-Trump cable networks -- including the largest -- and right-wing domination of social media is "drown out"?

30 minutes ago, John Cotter said:

 

An obvious example is the way Biden’s incapacity was effectively covered up for so long with the connivance of the mass media.

The same way Trump's cognitive decline was ignored by the mass media, who were fixated on Biden's age.

30 minutes ago, John Cotter said:

The manner in which the Democrats thus largely evade scrutiny is a negation of democracy, such as it is.

Rupert Murdoch Elon Musk indicate otherwise.

[W. Niederhut]

Well said, Cliff.

Our confused Hibernian friend doesn't seem to realize that honest, accurate reporting about Trump's crimes, daily falsehoods, and blunders, does not connote, "propaganda," in the usual sense of the word.

These are not "alleged faults."  They are actual faults.

Trump's own former Chief of Staff, John Kelly, called Donald Trump, "The most flawed person I have ever known."

[Kevin Balch]

On 8/24/2024 at 5:07 PM, W. Niederhut said:

Should this crude post be deleted?

Since this is the Education Forum, IMO, it may be worth approaching this post as what Barack Obama calls a "teachable moment."

One of the oldest racist stereotypes in American history is that of black women being labeled as whores.

Historically, enslaved black women were often subjected to sexual assault and used as sex slaves.  And post-slavery, many have lived in poverty.

Another old racist stereotype has been the mythology that black people lack intelligence-- apparently, even if their mother was a biomedical research scientist, and their father is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at Stanford University, as in Vice President Harris's case.

No doubt, Trump and his MAGA fans are going to roll out a lot of these racist and misogynist memes and slurs about Kamala Harris between now and November.

But here's a reality-based meme that's worth contemplating when we compare the private lives of Kamala Harris and Trump.

It doesn't get at Trump's history of sexual assaults, barging in on teen dressing rooms, and visiting Jeffrey Epstein's teen sex-trafficking island, but it is apt.

 

I made no references to Harris’s race. Even the fact-checkers at Snopes, a reliable defender of democrats, admits that Harris had an affair with Willie Brown and that he in turn named her to TWO appointed positions that launched her political career.

Note how Snopes tries to subtly downplay Harris’s conduct by saying Brown was already estranged from his wife for 10 years and that she subsequently distanced herself from him. This is supposed to exonerate her character?

To be sure, Trump has similar moral character issues but his christian wingnut followers are as blind to them as democrats are to Harris’s.

Pot, meet Kettle.

Thanks for getting me suspended for a day. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-affair-willie-brown/

[John Cotter]

1 hour ago, Cliff Varnell said:

Sounds like your problem

3 pro-Trump cable networks -- including the largest -- and right-wing domination of social media is "drown out"?

The same way Trump's cognitive decline was ignored by the mass media, who were fixated on Biden's age.

Rupert Murdoch Elon Musk indicate otherwise.

Please remind us which former US President was banned from Facebook and Twitter.

[W. Niederhut]

26 minutes ago, Kevin Balch said:

I made no references to Harris’s race. Even the fact-checkers at Snopes, a reliable defender of democrats, admits that Harris had an affair with Willie Brown and that he in turn named her to TWO appointed positions that launched her political career.

Note how Snopes tries to subtly downplay Harris’s conduct by saying Brown was already estranged from his wife for 10 years and that she subsequently distanced herself from him. This is supposed to exonerate her character?

To be sure, Trump has similar moral character issues but his christian wingnut followers are as blind to them as democrats are to Harris’s.

Pot, meet Kettle.

Thanks for getting me suspended for a day. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-affair-willie-brown/

Go back and study my comments, Kevin.

You, obviously, don't get it.

There is nothing remotely "similar" about Trump's history of serial sexual assaults, frotteurism, and cavorting with a teen sex trafficker, and Vice President Harris dating a charming male colleague (who was estranged from his wife) in her younger years.

If you think those things are similar, you have a very bizarre concept of morality.

Your slur was implicitly racist and misogynist.

And, incidentally, I was not involved in your suspension, apparently, for obscenity.

[Kevin Balch]

15 minutes ago, W. Niederhut said:

Go back and study my comments, Kevin.

You, obviously, don't get it.

There is nothing remotely "similar" about Trump's history of serial sexual assaults, frotteurism, and cavorting with a teen sex trafficker, and Vice President Harris dating a charming male colleague (who was estranged from his wife) in her younger years.

If you think those things are similar, you have a very bizarre concept of morality.

Your slur was implicitly racist and misogynist.

And, incidentally, I was not involved in your suspension, apparently, for obscenity.

I used the exactly same “obscene” term you did.

These behaviors don’t seem to undermine the stature of Bill Clinton who, along with his wife, saw fit to socialize with Trump.

Yes, Willie is charming.

Edited August 26 by Kevin Balch